As a preface, I want to state up front that whenever a local business closes, I generally believe that to be a bad thing. I understand how dreams, economic stability, emotions and more go into any family business venture and that the failure of ambition to sustain itself can be rough. Getting that out of the way, here’s where I’m likely to upset someone.
Every few weeks, it seems like we’re writing on The Range about a restaurant, club, boutique or something closing down. This week, it’s the preemptive notice that Toxic Ranch is set to close their existing location at the end of the year. Maybe they’ll move to a new space (they mentioned in their Facebook post about the news that they were distressed by the area’s “gentrification” and considering going online only), but it’s possible that one of the last non-chain record stores in town might be no more.
I’m assuming, however, that someone from the conservative media will pick up on this news at some point and say “See, Tucson is unfriendly to business! This proves it!” Inevitably, this person will probably have no idea what they’re talking about, having never been to Toxic Ranch to complete their collection of Mission of Burma vinyl or whatever. This exact situation came up when we reported on the closing of The Underestimated City last month, as the store’s owners’ complaint that the streetcar construction played a role in its demise resonated with the “doom and gloom” set.
Personally, I agree at times that Tucson can be tough on business owners. There are sometimes too many hoops to jump through or never-ending construction projects to survive. However, sometimes places just close. In the case of The Underestimated City, they’re already looking at new locations, not all that far from their old spot. Toxic Ranch, while legendary in a lot of ways, is still a record store in a brutal market for music as a physical product. Awhile back, I heard talk show hosts mourning the loss of Sharks downtown, which no one should have shed a tear for.
It’s absolutely acceptable to look at places when they shut down and think about what that means for our community, but if you lack the perspective to do so intelligently, spare us the trouble and go back to complaining about potholes.
Dan Gibson can be heard on Fook Music Mornings on 92.1 FM KFMA most Tuesdays around 8 a.m. and on the John C. Scott show Thursday afternoons on 1030 AM KVOI.
This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2013.
As a voracious reader of local news, and having tried to run a small retail business myself, I am stating unequivocally that this town has more than it’s share of red tape and corruption. It is so cost prohibitive for a person or family to try and take that next step and provide more for their family, maybe get off assistance, employ other members of their neighborhood, etc. And then there are the kickbacks and back pats and all kinds of pats to ensure some properties are used and some remain vacant. “If you have tons of empty commercial property in your area, well Councilman “I want to keep getting re-elected” is the ONLY one who can do anything about it! You better stick with him!” I mean, really, we could open up 100 businesses with all the inventory we have and never have to mix ONE bag of concrete! Why doesn’t the city rent some vacant property that’s not going to be built on for years and sponsor a low fee flea market so people have another option to buying from the 5 people who collectively run 90% of the spaces at the swap meet? Or set up a regular, semi-permanent food truck area? Small businesses are how we climb out of the proverbial rut. We make our lives, our families’ lives, our communities’ lives better. It’s how we can really create a middle class in this town. It will give the next generation a better chance to be able to go to school instead of work. To afford college or trade school. WE ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH TO GIVE ENTREPRENEURS THE CHANCE TO SUCCEED!